Anyone find a source for a different gasket for the 8" twist n seal hatches? I've tried many different lubricants on the seals, replaced the seals, loosened the hatch screws & retightened, etc. and each attempt works for a few hours at best. I'd like to try a round gasket before I break the damned hatch tab trying to get it open.

Spray silicone is the best lubricant for the hatch seals but you do need to reapply it reasonably regularly especially if you use your boat in salt water and hot sun. If the hinges get stiff I use a tiny amount of spray oil just to feee them up a bit.

It's not the gasket that is the problem. Your kayak is a piece of plastic that is going to warp in the sun over a period of time. That will put stress on the hatches making them hard to close. Have you noticed how once you get them closed they tend to settle down so they fit? The only solution is to remove the hatches and trim the hatch cutouts to fit the new configuration of your newly shaped hull

If you don't want to go to all that work, keep the gaskets clean and lubed.

Hatch seals are not symmetrical and sometimes get twisted. The composite picture below shows on the port (red), a seal that has twisted out of position. This tends to bind that side causing it to hang up. Making sure your hatch seals are correctly positioned is the first step in correcting an uneven hatch.

Quote:

Your kayak is a piece of plastic that is going to warp in the sun over a period of time.

Interesting. I haven't seen this issue come up before. None of my Hobies over the past 13 years have suffered any twisting, warpage or lack of symmetry. Understandably the boats expand and contract with temperature and can dent with too much local pressure on the hull, especially in heat. But then, mine are stored inside usually and tend to be the lighter, cooler colors.

So while this may happen in some circumstances (as in your case), it's certainly not a foregone conclusion IMO.

Roadrunner, it you think your plastic boats aren't changing their shape under the sun or in cold conditons you better rethink this. Most of this would not even be noticeable to the naked eye. Only your hatch would know